[IC] PLA75 R2 - Gasket Mounted 75% - GB is LIVE!

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

IC FORM: https://forms.gle/LgJMctueHTgbSffU8

Hi everyone. I am back with Rev 2 of the PLA75. Let me get you a changelog:

• Raised front height by 1 mm – to allow for more flex on the bottom row, and prevent screw in stabilizers from banging the bottom case. As a consequence, it changed the typing angle ever so slightly from 4.94 to 5.35 degrees. This should be a welcome change as it seems that people enjoy something closer to 6-7 degrees.
• Increased the relief cut around the plate – this is just more insurance that the plate is completely isolated from the case.
• Raised edge height (with respect to keycaps) – on Rev 1 I could see the keycap bottoms if I looked at it from certain angles and I didn’t like that. Moved it from 7.25 mm from the top of the plate to 8 mm. I also reduced the chamfer as that as adding to the adverse visual effect.
• Backed the bezel off from the keycaps a bit more. There were no issues with keycaps rubbing on the case sides, but it was a little too close for comfort, and having a little more experience with 3D printing now I decided to add just a tiny bit of wiggle room. Flipped spacebar folks rejoice.
• Made the f****** screw holes bigger. Not sure what happened on Rev 1, but sometimes printers undersize holes. (For those interested in why, imagine if you had to approximate a circle with a pentagon, and then drew the biggest circle you could within said pentagon. That is how CAD files are converted to 3D printing files, as they are just a collection of points in space that connect to one another, and you are going to want to approximate circles to save on points/data.) TL;DR, oversize your holes even more than you already did.
• Made the f****** nut slots smaller. The nuts friction fit now. No more glue/tedious assembly. Just give em a good shove and forget about them.
• Fixed plates. KBDfans had the wrong layout specified for the split space on the KBD75 PCB, and I made the plates according to that ☹. I also discovered a new weird split space layout that isn’t documented. See the KLE below for all supported layouts. I also made them white for better RBG brightness.

KLE:

More

   
Here are some things I am experimenting with for this coming GB:

• Back cut to make the case sleeker and less blocky. Let me know if you like it

• The option for a weight. Target is 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) which would make the whole board around 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) kg, and 4.6 lb (2.1 kg) built.
• I am experimenting with flat sheet gaskets instead of cord. Got some ordered today and we will see if they make any difference. I suspect they will be a pain because you cannot get them to stay without glue, unlike the cord which just snaps in and out of the wells.

I plan on running this in the next month or so. Everything I need for PCBs, plates and cases is up and running, so things should go smoothly with a very fast turnaround time. I am printing the cases here in Canada this round, with some help from smyjpmu of protocases.com. I am sure that the quality will be on par with keyboardbelles from Rev 1 😊.

FAQ

More

Ne spots avail?

He has no problem doing a fulfillment of 75 units, so there should be more spots this time than previous.

Cost?

I am aiming for the target of $185 for a full kit, which is what Rev 1 was, however keyboardbelle had a larger operation which allowed for lower printing prices, so the change in case maker may result in a small price bump.

When?

After a final round of prototypes and some administrative stuff I should be good to go. Call it a month.

How fast do I need to be?

Rev 1 was 50 spots, and sold out in 8 hours in Oct 2019, for your reference.

Album
https://imgur.com/a/7vAN7bK

Thanks to Hiney, Soft, Alas, protocases, and saltrocklamp for all the help.

Let me know your questions/suggestions!

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Renders and images are coming. Also reserved!

[CrazyAssMonkey]

 

<3

[Adelscott]

That ISO Enter in KLE is wrong

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

That ISO Enter in KLE is wrong

ISO itself is wrong.

[Hell-es]

Nice, hope to hop on this time - r1 seemed like a nice and fast gb

[Rob27shred]

Awesome, I was hoping you'd do another round of these! Loving the changes, GL moving this forward!

[anatworkaccount]

Love love love my R1, definitely going to snag an R2 if the price is right.

[The Equals D]

I was just looking for one of the r1s on the aftermarket too.
Glad you are gonna do another round

[Freeaboo]

Dammit! Why do all the good boards run when I've already bought other stuff? Best of luck, and here's to hoping I pull the money out of my ass for one of these.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[i luv chuletas]

Veeeeeeeeeeery interesting.. so these are actually PLA? Kind of impressive due to the look of the finish man.

[Electronic_Abyss]

I like the cut back. Dig this one overall, hope I can grab one

[kawhi]

very tempting, the R1 was incredible value and am sorely tempted by the idea of R2. will be following the design changes closely

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Veeeeeeeeeeery interesting.. so these are actually PLA? Kind of impressive due to the look of the finish man.

Yep, other than the plate (fr4) these are all PLA!

[bow3i]

Looks nice! Am a newcomer to the keeb game and I see a lot about gasket mounts, and this looks right up my alley design wise too. Glwgb! Hope to snag one myself

[cheataq]

I MAY like no-angled back better... but idk which is what i like...
stay or have option the block case like r1 as you can XD

[BigBabyJesus]

Looking good. 

[digitalbob]

I would be SO down to get one of these, especially with that projected price point

[Pocafe]

I prefer r1 case.
PLEASE remain the case design.

[Pocafe]

What is the option for tge weight?
Is that replacable?

Sent from my HWV33 using Tapatalk

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

R2 prototypes have been paid for and are being made this week. Assuming all is well, I will get a final GB price nailed down, and decide on the options available. I'd like to offer as much as I can, but it is ultimately up to how many colors and variations that the printer is comfortable ordering/handling. I will not be offering the 30+ colors I did last time, but rather a collection of the most popular ones from the last GB, and some fresh ones I think will be nice. I might also have an option to have a one off color printed for a small fee.

[Pocafe]

R2 prototypes have been paid for and are being made this week. Assuming all is well, I will get a final GB price nailed down, and decide on the options available. I'd like to offer as much as I can, but it is ultimately up to how many colors and variations that the printer is comfortable ordering/handling. I will not be offering the 30+ colors I did last time, but rather a collection of the most popular ones from the last GB, and some fresh ones I think will be nice. I might also have an option to have a one off color printed for a small fee.

nice idea
thank you

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

https://forms.gle/LgJMctueHTgbSffU8

IC form is here, and also at the very top of the OP. Please fill it out if you want a notification as soon as the GB goes live.

[diddykang]

Any considerations for adding a blocker?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Any considerations for adding a blocker?

Been talking with some other people about how to best add it, and because of the compact bottom row, there is no way to get it "perfect"... Either way you have 2 different sized blockers, or you have the spacebar without an alt key next to it on the left end.

Those who want blockers feel free to weigh in on what seems best - the model is easy to update, so I should be able to accommodate whatever layouts.

[Motte]

Hey I like your approuch very much. What about ISO support? If that would be an option, I'd fill out the IC form!

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Hey I like your approuch very much. What about ISO support? If that would be an option, I'd fill out the IC form!

Yeah, this has had ISO since R1. KLE is in the OP of this thread.

[Motte]

Oh I'm blind pleas pardon me But that... enter .. it's turned?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Oh I'm blind pleas pardon me But that... enter .. it's turned?

Yeah KLE was being difficult. It is all correct don't worry

[Pocafe]

About when can i get it?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

About when can i get it?

I need to get my prototypes made, and iron out any kinks. 2-3 weeks until the group buy opens if no delays appear.

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

So, just a small update - we tried some filament from a local Canadian supplier, and it just didn't give the shine through effect like my R1 cases (pictured). I want to make sure that my cases look as good as ever, so I have reached out to the American supplier of the clear filament from R1. This may add a week to the prototyping time, and shouldn't effect the cost too much, as bulk pricing should offset the price of shipping 50 kg of filament across the border. I'm going to try and get a sample to the printer ASAP so we can double check the translucency, and then the GB should be ready to begin

[Pocafe]

how many gaskets?

[whitemamba]

Looks really nice, is there any build video available from r1? Would love to see how it was built.

[bow3i]

i'm liking it

[Pocafe]

Can i replace "|(pipe)"key to "Backspace"key?
That's actually upside right corner of HHKB layout.

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

how many gaskets?

Can i replace "|(pipe)"key to "Backspace"key?
That's actually upside right corner of HHKB layout.

12 Gaskets, and yes, it is a QMK PCB so everything is fully remappable.

[Pocafe]

Is there damped form between PCB and bottom case?

[JustFluxz]

Will there be a hotswap pcb option?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Will there be a hotswap pcb option?

There are not hotswap 75% PCBs AFAIK, plus i just like solder.

[Motte]

Show Image

So, just a small update - we tried some filament from a local Canadian supplier, and it just didn't give the shine through effect like my R1 cases (pictured). I want to make sure that my cases look as good as ever, so I have reached out to the American supplier of the clear filament from R1. This may add a week to the prototyping time, and shouldn't effect the cost too much, as bulk pricing should offset the price of shipping 50 kg of filament across the border. I'm going to try and get a sample to the printer ASAP so we can double check the translucency, and then the GB should be ready to begin :)

Hey to be honest, I liked the less transparent version in your first post a bit more, but I still like it.
Those notches on the side, will they be in the second version as well?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Show Image

So, just a small update - we tried some filament from a local Canadian supplier, and it just didn't give the shine through effect like my R1 cases (pictured). I want to make sure that my cases look as good as ever, so I have reached out to the American supplier of the clear filament from R1. This may add a week to the prototyping time, and shouldn't effect the cost too much, as bulk pricing should offset the price of shipping 50 kg of filament across the border. I'm going to try and get a sample to the printer ASAP so we can double check the translucency, and then the GB should be ready to begin :)

Hey to be honest, I liked the less transparent version in your first post a bit more, but I still like it.
Those notches on the side, will they be in the second version as well?

I think I will include some variation on the top case, so yes to the side vents. These are all the same plastic, I'm just guessing differences in lighting and cameras have made the shine thru effect look different.

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Hi all, just figured I'd give a little bump with an update.

We use a certain brand of clear PLA that outperforms every other clear PLA in terms of LED diffusivity, and they are having shortages due to COVID-19. I managed to get some, but not enough for 100 clear units. I am exploring a few options:

• Leaving the clear spots as is for FCFS
• Raffling off the clear cases
• Combining a white bottom and clear top (will test this in the coming days)
• Printing the whole thing in clear PETG - this is the most likely option, as PETG offers even clearer prints than PLA, is readily available, is stronger, denser, and will last longer. I just need to test the LED diffusivity, and make sure we can print a whole bunch of these in a great quality finish, as PETG is a little less cooperative than PLA

So yeah, stuff is still moving behind the scenes, and I should have some prototypes in a week or two. Ragan of SpaceCables is going to be doing a build stream of a PLA75 in the near future, and I will link that here.

Finally, I am considering increasing the number of units beyond the initial 75 to 100, which is double the first GB so that more people can get one of these. I am solely limited by my manufacturing/sanity capacity, and want to get as many of these out there for people to enjoy, so I think that is a fair balance for my 4th group buy.

Thanks!

[Pocafe]

think better petg

BTW, is pcb leaf spring?

[Motte]

Sounds alright to me. As long as the quality stays on point, that is
You asked for opinions on other colours. How's the feedback on that end?

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Sounds alright to me. As long as the quality stays on point, that is
You asked for opinions on other colours. How's the feedback on that end?

I'm going to get a list of colors I will "stock" so I can bulk order and keep costs down, and then we will allow one offs - i.e. pick a filament we can get from a Canadian site and we will do a one off for a small price bump. That way we can have a decent choice of colors, and give people the chance at extra customization.

[Motte]

Sounds like a plan to me.

Still, a version without the vents, like the red render version, would be awesome!

Do you have any clue how high costs are for shipment and customs to Germany? Otherwise if you could give me package weight and size I could look it up.

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Sounds like a plan to me.

Still, a version without the vents, like the red render version, would be awesome!

Do you have any clue how high costs are for shipment and customs to Germany? Otherwise if you could give me package weight and size I could look it up.

950g, 36 cm x 18 cm x 8 cm. That is the dimensions of a PLA75, so find a reasonable box size and use that info to find a rate. Would be using canada post or some private courier in Canada.

[ReDsNoTDeAd]

Update: Prototypes are on the way to me, and I hope to have them by Friday or Monday at the latest. We have decided on which colors we will offer stock: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1745/6181/files/D3D_Colour_Palette_v2.pdf?15858631806047528405

Please have a look, there should be a lot there to satisfy your tastes. I will let you know what we are doing about clear filament closer to the group buy, but we do have enough for ~20 cases on hand.

And we will be going ahead with one off PLA, so if you find a 750g or 1kg roll of filament you like on digitmakers.ca, filaments.ca, spool3d.ca, amazon.ca, or any other Canadian filament supplier (as long as they ship to Montreal), then you will be able to have your custom color.

[rymnd6c28]

clear purple with vents top  hopefully it will look like those translucent gameboy